The present invention relates to a floor board installation device, and more particularly, to a sub-floor plank installation device which allows a carpenter to position tongue and groove planks tightly together so that the planks may be secured to an underlying support without gaps between the planks.
While installing a sub-floor, carpenters must place the planks or boards tightly against one another so that there are no gaps between the boards. Placing the boards tightly together is sometimes called xe2x80x9cpushingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpullingxe2x80x9d the floor boards together. Pulling of the planks together before securing the planks to the sub-floor supports, such as a series of joists or stringers, provides a strong sub-floor for placement of the finished floor thereon. Pulling of the sub-floor boards tightly together also reduces any noise produced by the finished floor.
A conventional floor pulling device comprises a lever arm having an end that is stomped on to push a sharp point into the top surface of a previously installed sub-floor board. Another board is then placed next to the previously installed sub-floor plank and is captured by an arm of the pulling device. The carpenter then pushes the lever arm away from the boards being pulled, which pulls the loose board or boards toward the previously installed sub-floor board.
In particular, referring to FIG. 1, a prior art deck pulling device 1 is shown in use. The lower arm 2 of the device includes a downwardly extending lip 3 that is placed around the edge of a loose floor plank. The movable arm 4 of the device is held upwardly by a carpenter as the carpenter stomps with his or her entire weight on the lower portion 2 of the device in a direction 5. This stomping action forces a sharp tip of the movable arm into a floor plank 6 nailed to the floor joists. The carpenter then forces movable arm 4 in a direction 7, which pulls lower arm 2 in the same direction. This acts to pull the loose floor planks 8 in direction 7. (The spacing between several ones of loose floor planks 8 is exaggerated for purposes of illustration.) The sharp point of the movable arm typically must be secured to a somewhat centrally located plank that has been fastened (not the last plank secured to a joist) or the device will merely act to rip the last secured board from the joist. The prior art device typically may be used to pull up approximately forty-eight inches of boards, as defined by the length of lower arm 2, wherein several of the boards include the two or three previously secured boards. Accordingly, the device must be used to pull boards every forty inches or so along the length of the floor. Moreover, the device typically must be placed directly over a joist or the stomping action of the carpenter will merely force the boards to bend downwardly such that the sharp point of the movable arm does not become embedded in the secured plank. In other words, stomping on the device between joists will merely cause the floor planks to deflect downwardly so that the sharp point of the movable arm will not cut into the plank. Additionally, the prior art device must be positioned near the joists so that the planks will be pulled tightly at the point of nailing to the joist. The device, therefore, must be used to pull the planks at every joist position along the floor being installed, which typically is every four feet or less.
This prior art device has several disadvantages. First, the device is not free standing and requires a first carpenter to hold the movable lever arm upright while the sub-floor board is nailed down by a second carpenter. Accordingly, this device requires a two-man operation. Second, the device is secured in place by stomping the sharp point into the top surface of the sub-floor. This may damage the sub-floor and may render the sub-floor unsuitable for placement of a finished floor thereon. Moreover, this stomping action, which typically requires the carpenter to stomp the lower arm downwardly from a height of sixteen inches or more above the floor, every few feet along the floor, severely strains the carpenter""s foot. Many carpenters have chronic and painful foot conditions due to this required stomping action, repeated through out every working day for an entire career. Third, the downwardly extending lip of the device grasps the loose floor board about its tongue or groove edge which tends to mar the edge of the board. This may reduce the possibility that a good fit is achieved between adjacent tongue and groove planks. Fourth, only a few planks can be pulled at one time, i.e., the number of planks pulled is limited by the length of the lower arm of the device. Typically, approximately forty inches of planks can be pulled at one time. Additionally, the device must be used at intervals of approximately forty inches along each joist or stringer of the floor being installed. In a floor for a standard house, this may require approximately 80 pulls of the sub-floor planks.
To install a plywood sub floor (or a xe2x80x9ctwo-for-onexe2x80x9d floor, such as 1xe2x85x9 inch plywood sheet, which functions as both the sub floor and the under layment for carpet or vinyl), the decking puller described above cannot be used. In particular, the downwardly extending lip of the prior art decking puller may damage the delicate tongue or groove edge of the plywood sheets. To avoid damage to the expensive plywood sheets, a board having a mating tongue or groove edge is positioned next to the plywood. Because the tongue side of the plywood typically is more delicate than the groove side, the groove side of the plywood typically is subjected to a pushing force. One or two carpenters typically stand on the board positioned next to the groove side of the sheet, and each carpenter hits the board with a sledge hammer. Two carpenters may be required to prevent the plywood sheet from scooting in a side direction or in order to provide enough force to push the plywood sheet against an adjacent plywood sheet. The force applied by the sledge hammers will tend to push the plywood sheet up against the adjacent secured plywood sheet so that the tongue and groove edges of the sheets engage one another. However, because of the glue placed within the mating tongue and groove area of the adjacent boards, the loose board will tend to bounce off the fastened board. A third carpenter typically attempts to fasten the moving plywood sheet to the stringers just as the loose board is at the peak of its bounce, i.e., when the plywood sheets have their tongue and groove edges correctly and tightly mated together. This bouncing action is also enhanced due to presence of wet glue that typically is positioned between the plywood sheets and the stringers. Accordingly, there currently is no satisfactory method of pulling multiple plywood sheets together for fastening of the sheets to the sub floor joists. Moreover, the method of pushing even a single plywood sheet against a secured plywood sheet has many drawbacks.
Another pushing device, typically used on furniture or boat hulls, comprises a base having a wedge contacting surface, wherein the base is secured to a support. The base may be nailed or bolted to a hull support, or may be secured by pins that are forced downwardly into the top surface of the support. The small end of a wedge is then positioned between the support and the wedge contacting surface of the base. A force is applied to the wedge to force it further between the base and the boards. The tapered shape of the wedge will force either the base or the boards to move. Because the base is securely fastened to the support, the wedge will tend to force the hull boards away from the base, thereby forcing adjacent boards together. Once the boards are pushed together and then nailed in place, the nails or bolts of the base are removed from the support. The base is moved along the support to a new location and the process is repeated.
There are several disadvantages to this conventional boat construction device. First, the base and the wedge are not connected together so the wedge piece may be dropped through the unfinished hull. This can be inconvenient in that the carpenter must retrieve the wedge from the ground. In a worst case scenario, the heavy metal wedge may fall on and injure a co-worker working below the hull installation site. Second, the base is secured to the support with nails or bolts. These nails and bolts can damage the support and are time consuming to install and remove, especially when the base is secured to a support sequentially at two or three foot intervals during the installation process. Third, the base typically has a single orientation in which the base may be secured to a joist. Accordingly, the boards can be tightened in only one direction. This inflexibility of this prior art device requires a carpenter to start at one end of a hull and to lay the planks in a single direction. For these reasons, Applicant believes this boat construction device has not been utilized for floor installations.
Accordingly, there is a need for a sub floor board installation device that reduces the risk of loosing or dropping the heavy wedge, may be quickly secured to and released from a joist, facilitates flooring in either of two directions, allows one-man operation, does not damage the floor boards, does not contribute to chronic injury of the carpenter, and allows a floor to be installed with fewer individual pulling operations.
The present invention includes a cross bar, a wedge and two pins extending outwardly from the top and bottom sides of, and through, the cross bar. The cross bar may further include a handle for ease of positioning the cross bar on a set of joists. The wedge comprises a top curved edge and a bottom edge including a groove therein. The pins typically are spaced from one another in the base a distance slightly larger than the width of a joist. The wedge is secured to the cross bar so that the device comprises an integral unit.
In use, the cross bar is placed on top of two adjoining joists so that the pins are positioned on either side of a single joist. The other end of the cross bar merely rests on top of the adjacent joist. A groove in a board contacting surface of the wedge is positioned on a tongue portion of a board. (An adapter may be secured to the edge of the wedge so that the wedge may be placed against the groove side of a plank). A force is then applied to a side edge of the wedge by a sledge hammer in a direction parallel to the length of the sub floor boards. Due to the rounded shape of the top curved edge and the flat board contacting surface of the wedge, the wedge will rotate within the cross bar so that the edge of the wedge is flush against the sub floor board and so that the curved surface of the wedge will contact the cross bar at only one point. The force on the side edge of the wedge will tend to rotate the far end of the cross bar in a direction away from the floor boards, wherein movement of the cross bar is limited by the pins positioned on either side of the joist. The pins will retain the cross bar in this fully-rotated, limiting position. Accordingly, any additional force applied to the wedge will tend to push the floor boards together, i.e., away from the wedge. If a distant board is nailed to the joists, then the force on the wedge will tend to compress the loose boards against the stationary board. In this manner, the sub floor boards can be pushed together, sometimes called xe2x80x9cpullingxe2x80x9d of the boards together, so that each of the boards can be nailed to the joists. When several boards are nailed in place, the wedge (or several wedges positioned in a row) is merely lifted up and moved further down the joists for positioning of additional boards between the wedge device and the board which was most recently nailed to the joists.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sub floor board installation device that may be quickly secured to and released from a support member.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a sub floor board installation device that facilitates flooring in either of two directions.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sub floor board installation device that allows one-man operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sub floor board installation device that does not damage the floor boards.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sub floor board installation device that does not contribute to chronic injury of the carpenter.
The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements.